You are likely to need the support of the senior management team to set up a young researchers’ project. You may need them to authorise the project and to free up staff time and resource. You also need to engage senior managers, to maximise the chance that the project will have an impact within your school, college or organization.

You could get buy-in via an informal meeting, or by presenting a short ‘proposal’ for the project. This might cover:

what you intend do to

how the project will benefit the young people involved and your school or organization.

how the project will fit with existing policies on consulting with young people and involving them in decision-making

the amount of time that you expect staff and young people will need to spend on the project

what additional resources you will need (such as rooms and equipment)

the project start and end dates

a risk assessment.

If your senior management team has concerns about supporting a young researchers’ project, it might be helpful to engage them in thinking about the focus of the research.